Just A Simple Walk In The Woods
by Fan Geek
Summary: [Rated for language] It was just a polite and simple suggestion, that which anyone would've agreed to. But who knew the woods would get so very dark at night? Beware the coconuts, Hamel... beware.
1. Foreigners?

**Just A Simple Walk In The Woods**

This story is dedicated to the powerful and expressive short-type phrase "WTF."

It had all happened so quickly that not one of them had even recalled how it came to be, _exactly_. 'Just a simple walk in the woods'. Flute had suggested it, since it was such a nice and cheerful day in the Holy kingdom of Sforzando. Being cooped up in a castle for the passed week hadn't made her job as queen any easier and she was growing so bored writing letters and conversing with foreign royalty.

Hamel had not once left her side for long periods of time, though, and she was grateful for the company… even IF that company constantly complained about his butt hurting from sitting too long and about how hungry he was. But, even though he mumbled grumpily as she forced him to stand outside of her chambers as she dressed for the occasion, she could tell that he was grateful for the small getaway.

"Are you done, yet?" Came his voice through the oak door. Flute sighed, clearly hearing the agitation in his tone. Slipping her arm into a sleeveless blue dress that just brushed the ground, she headed over to the door and swung it open, eyes instantly falling on the half-breed prince leaning against the wall opposite of her. He rolled his eyes, pushing himself off of the wall with his hands. "Finally." He said, now eyeing her with raised eyebrows as if questioning her very purpose. She rolled her eyes in return, spun around, and headed down the hall, her light footsteps echoing as if to mock him.

"YOU KNOW, I'd be a little more grateful if I were you!" He shouted after her down the hall, walking after her leisurely but secretly trying to keep up. She huffed loudly but did not falter in her walking, continuing to quickly move towards the spiral stairway that led down into the castle's entrance and main doorway. Hamel continued complaining, moving his arms above him to clutch the back of his head in a lazy motion. "Stop acting all high and mighty just because you're a queen!" He started, dropping his arms in an annoyed fit. "I sat with you for TWO HOURS watchin' you do all your royal shit, writin' crap and stuff! I THINK you should APPOLOGIZE for--!" Suddenly, he was cut off as he felt a hard solid object fall upon his shoulder and rest there. He went rigid and pale, slowly craning his neck to glance behind him. His gaze met two cold cobalt eyes, clearly glaring death into his own. He spluttered, eyes going wide with fright, and skittered hurriedly forward… so fast, in fact, that his feet caught his cape and sent him flailing face first to the floor.

The High Priest of Sforzando let out a small sweatdrop, returning his golden staff to it's position, standing dignified and guard-like at his side. "You fool…" He began, eyes flickering with a deadly flare. "You DARE speak to the Queen in such a hostile manner?" Hamel stuttered for a moment, then regained a more steady tongue and blurted out. "B-but Flute STARTED--!" "SILENCE!" Clarinet shouted, cutting Hamel's poor excuse short.

At that shout, Flute spun back around, blinking, only to catch the oh-so-familiar sight. "Clari…" She murmured, letting out another deep sigh. Stalking forward towards them with hardly any time for grace, her eyes came upon the abandoned sight of Hamel's telltale hat, which had fallen off during his fall, exposing his milky white horn, the sign of his abnormality. But suddenly, the small piece of bone did not seem so intimidating anymore. It felt almost normal to her and she expected the rest of their mismatched 'group' to feel the same. Stopping behind Hamel, she stared down at the pathetic looking boy, frail looking as a woman but possessing so much strength that it was frightening. Slowly, she sat his hat back upon his head, gently. He craned his neck slightly in surprise, gracing her with a glance before turning back to Clari with a scowl. She let her gaze drift up to her High Priest who had instantly dropped down into a low bow before her. "Joou-sama…" He spoke with a highly respectful tone, his abnormally long locks draping across the floor in waves of sparkling blonde. Hamel suddenly went into a coughing fit at his position on the floor. Patting his back with her free hand—the other occupied with her cross staff—she smiled at the man before her. "Clari-san. I trust Hamel isn't getting himself into any more trouble than he's worth?" She began pounding on his back as he ineffectively tried to yell out "HEY!" but ended up coughing even louder, digging at his throat like a wild animal.

Clarinet stood straight once more but then allowed himself to slide into a more relaxed position, using the back of his hand to swipe stray hair out of his eyes in the most graceful and feminine manner Flute had ever seen, but she was still so overtaken by his good looks that it didn't really matter. "He's a nuisance, my queen… I _still_ say we throw him into the dungeons and only allow him one meal per day. He might then learn some decency and stop being an embarrassment to the Sforzando Kingdom's reputation." He glanced down at Hamel, who had taken to gnawing at his feet in an aggressive animal-like motion while STILL coughing in a choked manner. He ripped his foot from Hamel's mouth, who only coughed harder until, suddenly, a lone sparkle fell from his mouth, hitting the floor and disappearing around the corner to find it's little sparkly friends. A large sweatdrop lined each of their heads.

"YOU TRIED TO KILL ME WITH YOUR GAY, SPARKLY, DAINTY LITTLE GAY-NESS, ASSHOLE!" Hamel hoarsely accused, jumping up from the ground in one swift motion and pointing a finger at Clari's chest. "Stop… being… _ridiculous_." Clarinet hissed back, a vein protruding from his forehead.

Flute stared after the two of them, sweat dropping heavily. She then sighed for the third time that morning. "…Hamel…" She began in a normal, almost-calm tone. He ignored her, continuing to bicker with the priest, who seemed as though he wasn't giving up, either. "Hamel." She repeated, a little louder and sterner, staring at him with a ticking eye. He ignored her once more. Now truly flustered, grinding her teeth, she stuck out her staff and prodded him, hard, in the back.

He spun around so quickly that it could've made anyone dizzy. "Flute! C'mon! I was just messing around!" He pleaded, eyes beginning to wibble, slightly. Flute faltered for a moment, resisting the adorable and heart-breaking little motion Hamel was so fond of using against her. Re-composing herself, she stuck out the staff and let it rest against his back, pushing him in front of her. He pouted, grumbling something about "…gay… stupid… priest thinks he's so high and mighty… fuckin' homo-nii-chan…" Clarinet eye-ticked, the vein upon his forehead throbbing slightly.

"Clari-san…" As Flute addressed him, he instantly became a statue again, staring at her with the utmost attention. "Yes, Joou-sama?" "Yes, Joou-sama?" Hamel repeated behind Flute sneakily, standing at his full height and making a great show of flicking his hair in the most feminine way possible, which looked downright ridiculous. Clari flared up, grinding his teeth and trying to keep his cool in front of his queen. Flute, who had jabbed Hamel in the stomach with her staff the moment she had heard those words, smiled up at Clari as if the former incident had never taken place. "We're going for a walk in the woods just outside of the kingdom. I'm terribly exhausted and bored of sitting in the throne room… do you think you can hold down the fort for a little bit until I return? Please?" As Flute looked up at him expectantly, Clari stared at her in confusion. Why was she asking him? She was the queen. She could so whatever she pleased, as far as he was concerned. But then, he quickly understood what position she was in. She had just become queen three months before and was still not used to having so much authority. "Why of course I can, my queen. I am at your service no matter what task it is that you ask of me to perform. Please remember that." He told her with a small smile, bowing once more to make his words firm. "Thank you. We'll be back soon!" She responded brightly, placing a hand on his harm in a gentle and friendly manner. Hamel scoffed behind her, glaring death at the man before him. Clari only smirked in return.

By the time the pair had made it to the middle of the city it was already mid-day. The kingdom around them was bustling with life, as it was everyday. Flute had to keep Hamel from running into the pubs and Hamel had to keep Flute from running into the trinket and clothing shops. Soon, though, they approached the living corridors of the city and approached a small, welcoming-looking home. Flute rapped on the door, pausing to listen for movement inside. She caught sound of shuffling and then the door was pulled open. "Ah! Flute-chan! Ha-chan! What a nice visit!" Came the 'Warrior of Love's pleasant voice, smiling brightly and giving Flute a small gentle hug. "Hello, Raiel-kun! We came to ask if you and Sizer-chan wanted to come for a walk with us. It's an awfully nice day, isn't it?" Flute said, smiling brightly all the same. Raiel's smile faded slightly and he looked thoughtful for a moment. "What's wrong? Did we interrupt something?" She asked, blinking. At that, Hamel let out a snort and fell into a fit of laughter, bending over and smacking his knees in uncontrollable delight. "RAIEL?! US, interrupting something between him and SIZER!? HAH! That's damn good!" He shouted, falling into dead silence as he met piercing glares from the two of them.

Raiel rubbed the back of his head in slight embarrassment. "No, Flute-chan, it's nothing like that. I'd love to come and I bet Sizer-chan would too, but… we're kind of in a rut back in the kitchen. Sizer-chan made dinner and… well… you get the point." He said, sweatdropping. Flute and Hamel sweatdropped too, instantly taking note of the black stains and soot on his shirt. "Would you like some help?" Flute asked, taking the liberty to step inside their quaint little home. Hamel followed in after her and Raiel took up the rear, shutting the door with a pleasant smile.

"That'd be really nice of you. Sizer-chan doesn't take to listening to me about her cooking… she say's…" He paused for a moment, and then raised his voice to a more feminine tone, mimicking Sizer's voice. "I cooked for myself for years in Hameln. I think I know what I'm doing". Eheh…" He slipped back into his own voice. "I don't think she understands that what she cooked in Hameln might've tasted good in slabs and practically raw but what she cook's here wouldn't taste the same." Flute sweatdropped, watching Raiel laugh nervously with his own number of sweatdrops.

But Hamel just looked smug. "You people don't know what's good. I bet Sizer's food is a delicacy! Your taste buds aren't as developed an' shit. We have angel blood in us." He ended, looking even smugger than before. "…You mean _Sizer-chan_ has angelic blood. You're half mazoku. You'd eat anything that moves, Ha-chan." Raiel responded, blinking innocently. Hamel scowled and pointed a finger at him accusingly. "I RESENT THAT! I haven't eaten YOU or FLUTE, have I!?" He shouted. Flute sweatdropped, eyeing him with a slightly suspicious gaze. "That's because we wouldn't let you." At that, a huge sweatdrop lined his forehead. "…I'm not a cannibal." He said, quietly, turning away from them.

Soon after, Flute left the two of them and entered the kitchen to help Sizer. Hamel and Raiel moved over to sit by the unlit fireplace and to avoid the choking black clouds of smoke fleeing from the kitchen.

"So, Raiel…" Hamel began, an almost unnoticeable glint glazing his crimson orbs. "Have you and Sizer… ya'know, _proceeded _your relationship yet?" He asked with a fanged smirk. Raiel blinked repeatedly, totally oblivious to what the other was implying. "I didn't know you COULD 'proceed your relationship' farther than marriage, Ha-chan." Hamel's brows went flat with a slight sweatdrop. "Hell, Raiel, did you bang her, yet!?" As soon as the words had left Hamel's mouth, he knew he had gone too far as Raiel's face INSTANTLY went scarlet. "W-Wait Raiel! NOT ON ME! PLEASE NOT ON ME! Go to the DAMN WIND--! AW, SHIT!" Before Hamel had a chance to move out of the way, a powerful and plentiful stream of blood jutted forth from his nose and covered the violinist in a sticky crimson coat, as well as all over the floor.

"DAMN YOU, HA-CHAN! You KNOW I'm sensitive!" Raiel managed to squawk while desperately trying to hold his nostrils shut. "I don't know HOW THE HELL you even got through the "you may kiss the bride" SHIT AT THE WEDDING! You ass! I thought ya' toughened up! Stupid pansy…!" Hamel shouted, shaking with rage while fruitlessly trying to rid the blood from his clothing and hair. At the shouting, Flute and Sizer emerged from the kitchen, both covered in soot from head to toe. "…He had a nosebleed, didn't he?" Flute asked her before they even laid eyes on the sight. As they did, though, they both sweatdropped heavily. "Yes. Yes he did." Sizer answered her, flat browed.

"You shouldn't ask such private questions, then!" Raiel continued, glaring with all of his nasal-voiced might. "YEAH, WELL I wanted to make sure you didn't 'cause I'd kick your ass STRAIGHT to Hameln if you did! I dunno' WHY I even asked!" Hamel replied, turning away from the pianist and crossing his arms over his chest, eyes shut in superiority. "Sizer's a lot more 'classy' than you. She wouldn't have banged you even if her deprived little hormone-y's JUMPED OUT and ATE HER EYES!"

"NAAAAANI!?" At Sizer's shout, the bickering duo went silent. "…Just what in KESTRA'S name are you trying to say, HAMEL!?" She exclaimed, wings flaring out in anger. "Just that you wouldn't touch _Rai-chan_ here with a fifty-foot POLE!" Hamel spat back, looking confident in his reasoning. Grinding her teeth, the aforementioned angel instinctively reached for her scythe, which was propped up against the wall beside her. Flute saw this and grasped Sizer's arm before she could take hold of the weapon. Then, she turned back to Hamel with a frustrated glare. "YOU!" She pointed at Hamel with a shaking hand. "Go to Raiel's room and borrow some clothes, take them to the bath and GET CLEANED UP!" As Hamel began to protest, she whipped out her staff, which sent him scurrying like a stricken puppy to the pianist's bedroom. "Raiel! Go into the kitchen and clean off at the washtub. Flute told me about the walk and if we want to go, you'd better hurry up. It's getting late." Not daring to fight back against the former Hell King, nor really wanting to, he hastily made his way passed them and into the kitchen.

As they were left alone, the girls both cast a glance at each other and sweatdropped. "We're being a little hypocritical, huh?" Flute said, letting out a giggle. Sizer just nodded, gracing Flute with a smile before they both went to clean up, themselves.

Miraculously, it didn't take the mismatched group long to become presentable as they made their way out of the Holy Kingdom's main gates and towards the forest. They walked down a few paths before entering a choppy trail leading into the dark woods. "'Just a simple walk in the woods'?" Hamel spoke up as he valiantly walked ahead of the group. "This shit is creeping me out…" He quietly said, glancing this way and that and then suspiciously through the trees. "It's not even passed eight yet, Hamel… and you, 'The Great Hero'. Shouldn't you be a little more brave?" Flute answered him with a raised eyebrow, only receiving an upraised middle finger in return. She seethed for a moment before jumping forward and clinging to Hamel's borrowed shirt as an owl hooted hauntingly in some unknown tree above them. "Hypocrite." He answered her, quietly, awkwardly patting her hand. "I'm not a 'Great Hero', now am I?" She replied but did not receive an answer in return.

Raiel and Sizer took up the rear but stayed close to the duo before them. "I think it's beautiful." Sizer said, smiling slightly as her eyes moved this way and that to take in the scenery. "Heheh. It IS pretty, isn't it, koishii?" Raiel spoke up, smiling pleasantly and glancing to his betrothed. Sizer nodded, her smile slowly fading as she glanced to the two ahead of her. Hamel and Flute had stopped completely and were looking this way and that, Flute still clinging closely to the man before her. "What's wrong, Ha-chan?" Raiel asked, walking up and beside his best friend. "The damn path splits into a fork." He answered, sighing. "That's alright. We can just pick a path." Raiel suggested. "Iei, Raiel-kun. That's just it. The path's are almost identical and we've come too far in to turn around…" Flute spoke up, her voice quaking slightly with worry.

Raiel glanced behind him and indeed… it was so dark that the path they had taken was hardly distinguishable from the woods around them. The only light was the faint glimmer of the moon the sky. "Geeze… I didn't know it got dark this early." He said in a quiet tone, sheepishly wrapping his arms around his torso. "Oh yeah!" Flute suddenly said. "It's daylight… savings… time…" She spoke quietly, inching low. Everyone had a sweatdrop lining his or her forehead in a matter of seconds. "…Damnit, Flute." Hamel hissed, sighing once more. "She didn't know, Hamel. It's an honest mistake." Sizer added, walking up to stand beside her brother. "I know, I know…" He responded, slightly agitated.

Suddenly, there was the faint sound of shuffling somewhere down the right path, causing Flute to jump and take hold of Hamel's shirt even tighter. "Aw, c'mon Flute… It was probably just a… a rabbit 'er somethin'." But he didn't sound so sure about that, himself. "R-Really?" She quivered, standing on tiptoes and glancing over his right shoulder. "Wan'me to go see?" He suggested, his voice having a slight quake to it. "…N-n-no." She whispered, falling back onto her feet, staring at the ground. "It's alright, Flute." Sizer spoke up, laying a hand on the queen's shoulder. "I can fly above the trees and lead all of you back to the main path." She offered. "That'd be a great idea, koishii." Raiel said, giving his wife a reassuring smile. "Be careful." He told her as she took to the air, receiving a nod and smile in return.

The moment after she left, the same shuffling was heard again, but much louder, causing Flute to bury her head in Hamel's back in fright. Hamel narrowed his eyes, angry that whatever it was that was making the sound had caused Flute to become so scared. "You know what!?" He shouted down the darkened path. Flute raised her head in confusion and Raiel blinked repeatedly. "You stupid ass WHATEVER-YOU-ARE! Why don't you stop being a coward and show yourself!" At that, he took Flute's hands from his shirt and gently made her release him. Stepping forward in front of them, he stood on the fork, facing the right path and raising a thumb to point at himself. "I am the GREAT HERO, HAMEL! Defeater of the Demon King Kestra! Defender of the weak! Protector of women and children alike!" At that, Flute and Raiel sweatdropped heavily, both face faulting. Oblivious to the commotion behind him, he continued, stalking forward and down the path. "H-Hamel!" Flute exclaimed, her eyes widening in worry. "Get back here! You don't know what's down there!" "Yeah, Ha-chan!" Raiel added, stepping up beside Flute. "You could get injured!"

Hamel waved them off. "I am a HERO! Nothing foul can injure the likes of me! You two mortals just stay back. Your defender will protect you from all evil!" Through their heavy sweatdrops, which were weighing them down tremendously, they could only watch as their 'defender' disappeared into the darkness of the path. Suddenly, though, everything went silent, TOO silent in fact… at least for Hamel. "R-Raiel-kun… why's Hamel being so quiet?" Flute spoke up, quivering slightly. "I don't know, Flute-chan." He said, stepping forward. "HA-CHAN!" He exclaimed, shouting down the path. "HAMEL!" Flute followed his lead. They were answered with complete silence. "R-Raiel-kun! What if…!" She cut herself off, eyes watering up. "He's fine, Flute-chan. I'm sure of it. I'll go find him!" And at that, Raiel took off down the path, disappearing into darkness while calling his friend's name. Once again, there was silence as Flute was left alone.

She glanced around in fright, wrapping her arms around her small frame. "U-uhh…" She squeaked out. But then, she knew that there was only one thing left to do. "SIZER-CHAAAAN!" She exclaimed, shouting up into the air with her hands cupping her mouth. Once again, she was answered with silence. Whimpering, she spun around, glancing down the path and cautiously taking a step forward, looking into its dark depths. "R-Raiel-kun?" She asked, lips quivering with an impending sob. Suddenly, though, the deep hoot of an owl sent her stumbling forward at a run and into the pitch black of the path, screaming Hamel's name.

As soon as Flute had turned into the darkness, Sizer landed where her friends once were. "I heard someone scream my na--… areh?" She said, sweatdropping. "Oi, Hamel… Raiel? Flute?" She said, walking out onto the fork and glancing down each path. "Mou…" She mumbled, frustrated. Suddenly, she heard a faint and distant scream in the darkness of the right path. "Flute!?" She shouted, quickly moving forward and into the dark of the tree-covered path. She ran, calling out her companion's names, taking flight every few seconds to obtain a boost of speed. Suddenly, her eyes came upon three separate figures lying beneath a tree. "A-Areh…?" She whispered, walking forward to reveal the three figures as her companions, lying unconscious on the forest floor.

"OH MY GO--!" Quickly, she was cut off by the impact of something hard against her skull, causing her to wobbly walk forward before falling face first onto her brother's unconscious form, passing out from the blow. Above the fallen four, from the branches of the tree, more shuffling took place and two voices slowly raised in volume.

"Dude! You could've given them a concussion!" One slightly high pitched female voice said with a hint of worry. "I know! I know! But let's just hope Heru-masutaa doesn't give ME a concussion!" Another deeper southern male voice said, sheepishly.

And it all went downhill from there.


	2. Concussions and Coconuts

Someone was waking up from a horrible nightmare. Someone was waking up with a horrible headache. Someone was eating my porridg--…oops! Wrong story! Anyhow…

With a moan of displeasure, the half-breed prince rubbed at his forehead where a large black and blue bruise was forming, currently unbeknownst to the stirring forms around him. "H-Hameeel?" A slightly high-pitched moan sounded from beside him. He glanced to the side, blinking at the bruised-forehead of the queen beside him. "Ow, damnit…" He complained, eyeing Flute with the slightest bit of concern. "Ya' got a big ugly bruise, too." He informed her as the other two forms beside them began to sit up. "Ha-chan? Sizer-chan? Flute-chan?" The Hero of Love said, gingerly touching the tender spot upon his cranium. "…Raiel? Brother? Flute? Are you alright?" The Fallen Angel asked, rubbing her sore temple. "Yes, we're fine, Sizer-chan. Where ARE we?" Flute asked, just now taking in their environment.

They were imprisoned inside of a metal cage, hanging from a large and sturdy tree branch, suspended in mid-air. It was a large cage, leaving each of them with about five feet of space to move around, with the adding of Sizer's large feathery wings "What the hell…" Hamel began, crinkling his brow in confusion. The others mouthed out murmurs of confusion as well, gazing around at their forestry surroundings.

Suddenly, though, a loud and evil laugh pierced through the silent air, striking terror into the hearts of little, cute, soft, furry, fluffy …ahem. forest animals, causing birds to faint and fall from their tree-top perches. From out of the dawn-dark trees and into the clearing came a caped form, followed closely by two others.

"Hah! I KNEW my hard work would pay off!" The front form spoke up, casting its head back in victory. "YOU!? You weren't the one who dragged their unconscious bodies back here and threw 'em in that cage!" One of the shorter forms said, sounding slightly annoyed. "Now, now, you two..." A deeper male voice with a clear southern accent started. "We all worked together to achieve a common goa--!" "BRYON, SHUT UP!" "Fine! Fine!"

"Who the hell are you!? Show yourself!" Hamel angrily shouted, sitting up on his knees and leaning over Flute's outstretched legs to grasp the bars of their prison, trying to get a better view of their captors. "…Dude. That's _so old_." The shorter one said, taking a step forward to reveal itself, followed by the other two. The shorter form was revealed to be a young female teenager with blonde hair that just reached below her shoulder blades and an average build. She wore a black hooded sweatshirt printed with the word "TOOL" and flared jeans. The taller deeper-voiced figure stepped forward, revealing itself to be an older male teenager with shorter brown/black hair and a light, thin build, out-heightening the shorter female by about four inches. He wore a plain beige t-shirt and carpenter jeans, which amazingly fit his _SMALL_ waistline.

Last but certainly not least, the figure that was cloaked in darkness behind the other two emerged. Hamel's eyes widened in fear and he gasped allowed, recoiling back slightly from the bars and allowing his quivering hand to rest upon Flute's leg. "Ha-chan... it's..." Raiel began, glancing over at his friend with wide and uncertain eyes and then back at the sight before then. "No..." Hamel whispered. In unison, Flute and Sizer spoke up. "WHAT!?"

The figure before them was garbed in Hamel's exact hat and cloak, a smirk evily placed upon it's face.

"FASHION-STEALER!" Hamel suddenly accused, launching himself into a standing position and pointing a finger at the figure through the bars of the cage--or WOULD have if his head had not collided with the metal 'ceiling' of the cage and sent him stumbling woozily back to a sit. While a sweatdrop lined the foreheads of all, the "fashion-stealer" only smirked more. "You're SO STUPID. How could you hit your head!? It was like... right above you!" SHE spoke. Indeed, the female before them stood at a solid 5'5", just slightly taller than the shortest female. She was very thin, greatly resembling Hamel himself, and had orange hair that was styled and cut in just about the same fashion as his own. Beneath the cape she wore a black 'dominatrix'-looking piece.

At seeing this, the tallest spoke up. "Kanaru! Why didn't you wear something that COVERED you, like I asked?! Like these!" He produced a small pair of cloth cat ears, stepping forward and dangling them in front of the peeved girl. "Bryon, if you do NOT put those away in a matter of two seconds then I will show you Mr. Whippy for the SECOND time today." Her voice was masked in threatening calm, causing the male to take a few steps back and place the offending item back inside of his pocket, sweatdropping heavily.

After each of the prisoners disposed of their sweatdrops again, Hamel spoke up once more. "Okaaaayy... now that THAT'S over with. What the HELL ARE YOU GOING TO DO--!" Before he could finish his sentance, a small hand was placed over his mouth to quiet him. With a very annoyed side-glance, knowing who the hand belonged to, he glared. "...Hamel...." Flute began, quietly, almost in a whisper. She glanced to everyone in the group as she lowered her hand from Hamel's mouth. "...I think they're _foreign_. They don't act or sound like they're from around here. Maybe it's their custom to... you know... do this?" She finished, motioning to the cage they were in. "Do what?" Sizer replied. "Imprison random strangers in a suspended metal cage and bicker like wild animals?" "My point exactly." Raiel said, nodding his head to compliment his wife's 'reasoning'.

As the group continued to speak in a heated, private conversation the latter watched on with confusion. "Shouldn't they be... you know, _scared_ or something?" The blonde asked. With a loud sigh, Kanaru turned to her companion. "WELL, Rachel, since we're dealing with our favorite legendary hero's who we know so much about, shouldn't we KNOW that they wouldn't be scared?" She questioned in reply. Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Flute would be afraid, making positive conclusions of the situation out of sheer optimism." Bryon nodded, chiming in afterwards. "And Raiel would be JUST as positive, only having a clearer sense of the real world, but _usually_ failing to express this sense and just agreeing with Sizer, who seems to be the most reasonable out of all of them." Kanaru seemed slightly impressed as she listened, but chimed in on cue. "And jackass over there would be making unjust assumptions about us and trying to get the others to agree with his stupid and uninforced idea of "breaking out" and stealing back his violin, which he hasn't even REALIZED yet is sitting over here against this tree by me." And just as she finished this sentance, a shout erupted from the quiet conversation being held within the metal cage.

"Where the FUCK is my DAMN VIOLIN!?" Each of the 'foreigners' fell in unison. "YOU BASTARDS! I could get you BEHEADED in the GRAND HOLY KINGDOM of SFORZANDO for THEFT!" At that, Flute sweatdropped, eyeing Hamel with the slightest bit of distaste. "You know I won't agree to that, Hamel." She announced, letting out a small sigh. Hamel allowed his eye to tic, only seconds later dropping down to ear-level and whispering, "I'm just tryin' to scare 'em... play along!" "No." "...fine."

"Try it, Flute." Raiel whispered to the Queen, nodding enthusiastically. "Alright, then." She answered, turning and placing her small hands upon the bars.

The 'foreigners' spoke amongst themselves for a moment before being interrupted by a quiet sound. Turning to the clearing of a throat from inside of the cage, they watched as the smallest of their captives began to speak to them. "Hello. You DO know what that means, don't you...?" She asked them loudly, as if they were kindergarteners. With sweatdrops, the 'foreigners' looked on, only raising an eyebrow in reply. "Well... u-uhm... your... your ways--... I mean... what you're DOing is DIFFERENT then what WE USUALLY--you know what I mean--DO HERE. In this PLACE--!" "ALRIGHT ALREADY!" Flute was cut off by Kanaru's shout of annoyance. "We KNOW what we're doing, miss Queenie-poo-poo. Why don't you go pick some flowers!?" Flute looked shocked before recoiling slowly.

Hamel growled out in anger, but before he could say anything the blonde before them raised her voice. "Kanaru! That was so mean! You said you weren't going to bully them! And I LIKE FLUTE!" Rachel said, turning towards Kanaru, placing her hands on her hips in anger. "FINE. Just... can we PLEASE go get the stuff now?" With a roll of her eyes, Rachel nodded, and the two of them began making their way towards the cage.

Each of the prisoners back away from the cages opening, which the two 'foreign' females were approaching. Rachel took a key out of her pocket and inserted it inside of the lock. "The fuck are you doing!?" Hamel exclaimed, placing himself between Flute and the cage's opening. "Will you please just be cooperative? We're not going to hurt you people." Rachel told him, finally opening the lock. "Like you could…" Sizer mumbled, her crimson orbs slowly narrowing. Raiel kept a suspicious gaze upon the two of them as they swung open the cage. "Come over here, Bryon." Kanaru called, waving the male over. Bryon obliged.

Rachel, obviously being the most talkative of the three—or the group's speaker—continued. "You're all probably scared or confused about us…" Hamel snorted, Flute nodded slowly, Raiel and Sizer listened… "…but we're not here to harm you in any way. You see… we're from the future—" "DO YOU THINK WE'RE STUPID!?" Hamel interrupted, angrily throwing his arms around his chest. "You can't time travel. That isn't even possible, miss." Raiel spoke, wrinkling his brow in confusion. Sizer raised and eyebrow, clearly not amused. "LISTEN, PEOPLE." Kanaru shouted, silencing the caged group. "This isn't a joke." Bryon told them, staring at them as if they were the most unintelligent group of people ever born.

Which might've been true.

But it wasn't.

Okay…?

_Yes_, I'm sure.

With a roll of her eyes, Rachel sighed. Her neck was level with the opening of the cage, making her seems quiet short on her tiptoes, but as she struggled to stand she continued to speak. "We ARE from the future. If you can't believe that then oh well, we can't do anything about it. I will explain more AFTER we take Flute and Sizer for a change of clothes." "WHAT!?" Hamel and Raiel both exclaimed in unison, instantly throwing their arms out to shield their own respective women. "BRYON ISN'T COMING!" Kanaru shouted, causing an eruption from the other group. "But how do we know you're not going to suck out their knowledge and use them for unholy deeds?" Raiel exclaimed, each of the others now sporting their own sweatdrops.

"…They're going to change their clothes. That is all." Bryon said, sounding quite annoyed with the situation. "Exactly." Rachel chimed in. "They're foreigners, I told you!" Flute whispered to Hamel from over his shoulder. "It's okay, Hamel. They're not going to hurt us!" She assured him, moving out from behind him and towards the opening. "FLUTE! YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" Hamel shouted, lashing out a hand to pull the Queen back to him, but the Southern-voiced male was already lowering the overly optimistic and trusting Flute to the ground.

He now hated that Southern-voiced male.

He now hated ALL Southern-voiced males.

Sizer sighed and crawled out from behind Raiel. Raiel stuttered. "B-b-b-but…!" "Cut it out, Raiel. I'm not letting Flute go alone." And with that, she swung her legs over the edge of the cage and dropped to the ground. "BE CAREFUL, SWEETHEART!" Raiel exclaimed, plastering himself against the bars, tears flowing in brilliant sparkles—Bryon closed the cage's opening once more, locking it. "We'll be back in a few minutes." Kanaru told Bryon, who sat himself down on a tree trunk. "Be careful, love." He told her, casting her a giant smile. Kanaru sweatdropped heavily and Rachel let out a tiny snort of laugher as they lead the unnerved duo into the forest and out of sight.

Once alone, Bryon eyed his prisoners, who both sat miserably inside the suspended cage. His eyes moved to the side, glancing down at a small pile of coconuts before picking one up with a small sweatdrop. "Have to thank Ash for providing these." He said to himself, tossing the nut into the air before catching the glare directed his way from inside the cage. He raised an eyebrow.

"I really, really hate you…" Hamel said, seething so deeply that smoke could almost be seen rising from his ears.

"Heh." Bryon began, twirling the nut around in his hand. "It probably wouldn't be wise, but I could easily give you a concussion with this like I almost did, before." He smirked. Hamel's brows and eyes became flat, along with Raiel's. "You… knocked us out with… _coconuts?_" Raiel asked, sweatdropping. ""Er… yeah." Bryon began, sweatdropping slightly himself. "What's your point? A good friend provided us with some non-lethal solid objects, like we had asked her. She just… 'erm… found it humorous to give us coconuts instead of large rocks or the like." Bryon spoke, smacking the growing sweatdrop away from his forehead.

"I hope you know that I really, really hate you…" Hamel spoke up again, eyeing Bryon with the flattest stare ever.

Bryon just smiled and tossed the coconut at Hamel's section of the cage, whom instantly freaked, jumping into the air with fright, resulting in smacking his head against the top of the cage once more. "DAMN IT!" He shouted, rubbing at his sore cranium.

"We really need to thank Ash for these." Bryon repeated, leaning back against a tree.


End file.
